However the Giants complete their journey this season, be it with another victory parade, completely missing the playoffs, or anything in between, one emotionally charged moment will stand out.

Who could forget Buster Posey, their catcher and cleanup hitter, clutching the dirt in agony after a season-ending home-plate collision May 25?

The Giants will receive a fresh reminder Friday, when they begin a 10-game trip on the edge of the Everglades. For the first time since that fateful series in May, they will cross paths with the Florida Marlins.

So much has changed. The Marlins are a different team run by a different manager. Scott Cousins, the rookie base runner whose controversial hit shattered Posey’s left leg, hasn’t played since June because of a back injury.

So the series isn’t expected to be about retribution or altercations. Giants manager Bruce Bochy said umpires shouldn’t even bother being on alert. After last week’s benches-clearing incident with the Philadelphia Phillies, Bochy will make it clear to his pitching staff that this is no time for vigilantism.

“We’ve moved on,” Bochy said. “We have bigger things to be worried about. That’s trying to win and get to the postseason. What happened is behind us.”

That’s the hopeful part, if the Giants are looking for a little inspiration. Despite all their lineup challenges, they haven’t allowed the loss of Posey, their leader and most pivotal player, to shatter their season.

“A lot of teams might crumble when your leader has fallen, but when your roots run deep, it doesn’t matter what storm may come your way,” closer Brian Wilson said. “You’ll continue to play the game the right way.”

Posey, after two surgeries to repair torn ankle ligaments, isn’t looking back, either. He declined multiple interview requests as the Florida series loomed. Posey is only now beginning to put weight on his left foot, but other wounds haven’t healed. He still hasn’t reached out to return Cousins’ apologetic phone call.

“Buster wants to move forward, and I’m proud of how these guys have not dwelled on what happened,” Bochy said. “When you lose your starting catcher and cleanup hitter, it’s devastating.”

For that reason, Wilson hears concerns about the Giants’ clubhouse chemistry — is Carlos Beltran “misfit” enough to fit with this team? — and responds with a harrumph. The way he sees it, the defending champs already have proved their unity and toughness by persevering through the loss of Posey and second baseman Freddy Sanchez.

“The pitching staff is here, so the chemistry is here,” Wilson said. “It doesn’t matter who you bring in. They’ll adapt to the Giants’ way. We’ve got a lot of unique individuals in corners of this clubhouse, and they speak up at the right times.”

It might be time for a speech. After losing Wednesday, the Giants slipped into second place for the first time since June 24. If they fend off the Arizona Diamondbacks to win the N.L. West, they can say they overcame the loss of their most significant player. If not, they already have a built-in excuse.

The Giants weren’t able to replace Posey with a catcher from outside the organization, and although club officials continue to scan the waiver wire looking for help, it appears more and more likely that Eli Whiteside and Chris Stewart — career backups who have spent the vast majority of their long careers in the minor leagues — will finish out the season.

The Giants are feeling the loss of Posey most in their lineup. They are scoring a paltry 3.45 runs per game — almost a run fewer than last season. Privately, club officials acknowledge a huge part of Aubrey Huff’s drop-off is because he doesn’t have Posey to protect him in the middle of the order.

Now the hitter the Giants acquired to replace Posey’s presence, Beltran, could be headed to the disabled list after missing the past three games with a sore right hand.

The situation is critical. The Giants are coming off a 3-7 homestand in which they dropped three consecutive home series for the first time since 2008. Their first two stops on this long, hot trip will be against teams — the Marlins and Braves — who both completed three-game sweeps when they visited San Francisco earlier this season.

A year ago, the Giants overcame a soft pitching month in August by hitting home runs in the clutch. Now they appear to have neither sufficient power nor the capability to hit when it counts.

Their team average with two outs and runners in scoring position is .167.

If the rotation has another bad August, the team probably won’t survive it this time.

“You think, ‘Gosh, are we going to come out of it?’ ” Bochy said. “I believe we will, and this offense will, too. But it’s got to start with our pitching. That’s our strength.”